President Erdogan Asks West To Stop Israel's Actions In Syria Before It's Too Late

President Erdogan. (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkiye)

JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Western countries, especially the United States, needed to end what Israel was doing in Syria before it was too late.

"West countries, especially the US, have a big responsibility to stop Israel. They must loudly state that Israel's occupation of Syrian territory is unacceptable," President Biden said.

"Israel's aggressiveness, which threatens peace and stability in our region, must be stopped before it is too late. Otherwise, tomorrow, Israel's backfires will be directed at those who support the country in all situations," the President said upon his return from the summit of the D-8 Economic Cooperation Organization in Cairo, Egypt.

"Israel has violated international law. The world was silent when it trampled on international law in Gaza. Israel also occupied territory in Lebanon, where blood was shed, and the world was silent once again. Currently, Syria is the target of Israel's carelessness," he stressed, referring to the Resolution of the United Nations 242 Security Council in 1967.

"The resolution condemns Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights and demands its withdrawal from the region. It is important for the international community to take steps to carry out these resolutions," he explained.

"All international mechanisms need to be used effectively to prevent Israel from exploiting the situation in Syria," President Erdogan added.

As previously reported, Israel carried out airstrikes on a number of positions in Syria, claiming to target strategic weapons and military infrastructure, along with the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's government on December 8.

"The sovereignty, territorial unity, and integrity of Syria must be fully restored, and all acts of aggression must end immediately," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters.

In addition to airstrikes, Israeli forces were also transferred to the demilitarized zone between Syria and Israel's occupied Golan Heights - which was created after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war - which was patroled by UN peacekeeping forces.

Israeli officials themselves described the move as a limited and temporary measure to ensure the security of the Israeli border, but gave no indication of when troops would be withdrawn.

"I emphasize: No military forces in the separation area other than the UN peacekeeping force point. Israel and Syria must uphold the provisions of the 1974 Troops Release Agreement, which is still in full force," said Secretary General Guterres.